| Estée Lauder has long been a company which pays attention to the
delicate , thinner skin of middle age and older. Among the turquoise and navy blue
packages of skin-care creams and lotions and make-up aids, the boxes of " Resilience
Lift " (cream for dry skin, lotion for combination skin) stood out as targeted
specifically at the problems of loss of firmness , dehydration, age spots and dull looking
skin which older women contend with. Daily use on face and neck, this cream is designed to
lift and tone facial contours, and deliver intensive moisture while diminishing sun and
age spots. Also - and most important - it protects against such problems with antioxidant
vitamins C and E, plus a broad spectrum sun-screen.
 To
launch " Resilience Lift" in 1999, Lauder brought back their top model of the
1970s and 80s. She's 53 year old Karen Graham, now director of a fly-fishing school in
upstate New York, who has come out of her semi-retirement to face the cameras again and
campaign for " how beautiful women are as they get older ".
Lauder are delighted with the results of a recent French nutritional study on women
in three different climatic areas of France, to test for health results of taking
vitamins and antioxidant supplements. Lauder joined in as the sole cosmetic house, and
proved that the application of their cream, with its antioxidant content, decreased
wrinkles and protected against thinning skin. There was no sign that vitamins and
antioxidants taken as supplements made any difference to the skin at all, despite general
health benefits. After 18 months , the period of the French survey, lines and wrinkles had
been reduced by 23% in the control group only using Lauder creams.
Skin creams with claims like these are never cheap, and Lauder products are in the top
price brackets, with 30 ml of the Resilience Lift Face and Throat Crème costing £29 (50
ml £43.00), the lotion selling at £39.00 for 50 ml.
Retinol has been the substance recommended by word of mouth for some time now, and
many cosmetic houses have pursued the benefits of doses of this Vitamin A derivative,
retinoic acid, which stimulates the natural production of collagen and the elasticity of
the skin. In intensive doses this is a prescription-only medication. The Estée Lauder
version, Diminish Anti-Wrinkle Retinol Treatment, is formulated to deliver pure retinol
doses over a period of 12 hours, since they argue that the skin is easily
"flooded" with the substance and can only take in so much at a time. For use
overnight, Diminish is packaged to protect this unstable molecule from light and oxygen
.The claim is that deep lines and wrinkles will be reduced by 50 % in just 8 weeks. Apply
at night on fine lines around the eyes, lines on the forehead or laugh lines around the
mouth. Diminish was launched in 1998 , and costs £35 for 30 ml.
Shrinking from the sun , avoiding smoking, and drinking lots of water throughout the
day are all basics in caring for the skin , the body’s largest organ. But what of
those who work or live in the great outdoors, or who in one way or another are bound to
suffer from some environmental onslaughts ? The Lauder solution is Advanced Night Repair
Protective Recovery Complex. Applied at bedtime, this is designed to undo the damage, and
correct the garbled genetic message that tells the growing cells to reproduce in less than
perfect ways. For those who fear that daily exposure to moderate sunlight, smoke or
pollution are taking a toll on their skin, Advanced Night Repair is the corrective .
Available for £29.00 for 30 ml, £43.OO for 50 ml.
How much can make-up do to enhance the older face and give more definition? What are
the main effects to go for ? The advice from Estee Lauder is to keep it simple and
concentrate on the main expression areas of eyes and mouth.
Anything that blurs rather than sharpens does no favours , and there can be pitfalls in
eye make-up that sticks to parts of the eye area rather than staying on the lid, and with
lipstick that seeps out or "feathers" as they say at Estee Lauder into any lines
around the mouth.
Around the eyes, Lauder recommends that their eyeshadow two colour packs are
applied with a damp brush for stronger and longer retention on the eyelid. Around the
mouth , the automatic pencil for lips can be used to outline and contain the lip area and
then filled in with a moisturising "Pure Color" lipstick. For both areas , the
range includes Eyezone to deal with puffiness in the eye area and Lipzone , which smooths
away vertical lines around the lips.
To reduce fine lines around eyes and brighten what is often a darker area of
skin on the mature face, try Unline. And for days when driving or sitting over a computer
can put extra strain on the eye area, slap on the Stress Relief Eye Mask, two semi-circle
pads soaked in a hydrating and soothing liquid to reduce irritation and the appearance of
wrinkles.
Most women know a thing or two about their own skin by later years, and they
have probably got into the habit of either using minimal or substantial covering
foundations, to even out skin tones and disguise small blemishes. Estee Lauder’s
Futurist light foundation, a liquid gel with a luminous finish, does the job of enhancing
the complexion without clogging. Futurist foundation in a frosted glass dispenser is
available in seven skin shades, price £24.00 for 30 ml
TIP With foundation , always dab a little in the centre of the face and blend
outwards, so that there is so little at the edge that there is no "edge". Then
you will avoid a contrast at neck or hairline.
Study these skincare products further on the Estée Lauder website www.esteelauder.com
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